The long term weatherability of automotive paint on a vehicle is dependent in large part on the ability of ultraviolet light absorber additives contained in the clearcoat to shield underlying layers from ultraviolet (UV) light. For this reason, UV light absorbers (UVA) such as benzotriazoles are routinely added into the clearcoat composition. However, with time, these UV absorbers may be chemically broken down or migrate out of the clearcoat. The result is that the clearcoat itself and underlying layers are subject to photodegradation which breaks down their properties, e.g., the paint loses its gloss.
Generally, polishes are periodically applied on an automobile paint surface to revitalize its gloss and increase its water repellency. One such topical treatment is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,288,314 to Howard et al. and contains dye, solvent, UV additive and a number of other components including silicone. The need to frequently reapply automotive polishes to revitalize paint gloss is indicative of their temporary and topical nature. In some situations, if the paint has degraded substantially, the automobile may be provided with a new coat of paint. It would be desirable if a method could be employed to replenish UVAs into the paint or clearcoat to provide continuing effective UV degradation resistance to the paint. The present invention provides such a method.